Mark 1: 1, 5: “The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God…. All the country of Judea was going out to [John], and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.” There were numerous sources of water in and around Judea, why did John go out many miles into the wilderness? Just as crossing the Jordan was the beginning of Israel’s entrance into the land of Canaan (Joshua 3), John’s baptism is the beginning of the Gospel of Christ, and our Christian baptism begins our Christian life. Further ask yourself, what is the source of the Jordan River? The Sea of Galilee and the land surrounding it, the recipient of that great light Isaiah promised (Isaiah 9: 1). It all flows together!
